Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Capote
The story of Truman Capote was, until very recently, unknown to me. To Kill A Mockingbird (F. Harper Lee) I had read, but In Cold Blood was just a b-grade movie half-remembered from teenage years. Little did I know that Harper Lee was Truman Capote's research assistant!
However, this novel was -- so I'm told -- one of the greatest American novels and the pinnacle of Capote's writing. The movie's write-up makes so much of him that I wonder why his name wasn't mentioned in a whole semester of 20th Century American Literature. Capote, the movie, follows its namesake's struggle as he engages with small town life and small town people. Most notably death-row convictee, Perry Smith.
The movie itself is very well put together. The acting is very strong; after a hammy reaction shot in the first five minutes, that is. Truman Capote is played masterfully by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who won the Los Angeles Film Critics Award as Best Actor for his effort. The scriptwriters have done a great job in building narrative tension and some witty dialogue makes for engaging viewing.
After a glut of second-string biopics this is a welcome gem.
Overall it's the best drama I've seen in a long time. But I don't watch much drama. Watch it if you can. Biopic movie fans and literature fans should go out of their way to see it.
UPDATE: Since watching the movie four weeks ago I just had to get hold of In Cold Blood. Thankfully Malta's public library system stocked it and I've just put it down. There have been few movies that have added to my appreciation of a book. Most let me down, only some manage to match my imagination. The combination of Capote and In Cold Blood is amazing and, in a shock announcement, I recommend watching the movie before reading the book.
Go on. Treat your literary awareness.
